Picker stick check



Sept. 8, 1959 H. H. 'MCCLAMROCH PICKER STICK CHECK 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed NOV. 19, 1956 HAROLD H. Nc CLAMROCH BY mm, MVM

Sept. 8, 1959 H. H. MGCLAMROCH 2,903,020

PICKER STICK-CHECK 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 19, 1956 MM TRD N M llllll II E M M v M N mm H I D MM RH in w p 1959 H. H. M CLAMROCH 2,903,020

PICKER STICK CHECK 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Nov. 19, 1956 HAROLD H. McCLAMRocH BYK/IAMMV M UnitedStates Patent 9 2,903,020 PICKER STICK CHECK Harold H. McClamroch, Concord, N.C., assignor of onehalf to James G. W. MacClamroch, Greensboro, N.C.

Application November 19, 1956, Serial No. 622,946

' 6 Claims. (Cl. 139-161) This invention relates to a picker stick check for looms, and, more especially to an improved form of picker stick check which utilizes a single spring to check the picker stick check motion in both directions. This improved form of picker stick check is particularly useful on looms for weaving fabrics of artificial fibers, although of course it may be adapted for use on other looms.

. There havebeen many forms of picker stick checks devised, all of which seek to slow and stop the motion of the picker stick as it catches the shuttle when the shuttle enters -th e box and to check the picker stick when it throws the shuttle. The earlier forms of picker stick checks merely comprised a flexible strap made from a material suchas leather or fabric. However the constant-friction on the'strap made it necessary to reinforce the; strap at the-pointwhere the picker stick rubbed thereon inorder'to counteract wear at this point. In additiim, the strap absorbed moisture from the air and cgnseguently the yield point of the strap varied depending on the humidity.

There have been devised many types of picker stick checks which utilize spring arrangements acting on the pickcr sti ck. While these may obviate the difiiculties ant nna encountered in the picker stick checks which have leather or' fabric straps therein, they have usually necessitated the use of one type of spring arrangement to checkthemotion of the picker stick when it catches the'shfittle and another type of spring arrangement to check'the motion of the picker stick when it throws the shuttle, The use of two spring arrangements not only results, inadded complexity in a field already complex, buti'results in two points at which adjustments must be made to achieve the proper checking action.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a picker stick check which overcomes the drawbacks of the prior art picker stick checks and which utilizes a single spring arrangement to check motion of the picker stick in both directions.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a picker stick check in which the proper checking action can be obtained by a single adjustment on the spring arrangement for checking the picker stick in both directions.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a picker stick check which employs a strap of flexible material to engage the picker stick, which strap is acted upoby a singlespring assembly to check the motion Qf'the picker stick. in both directions.

"Other and further objects of the present invention will becomejapparent from the following specification and claims taken together with the accompanying drawings, inwhichf "Fig. 1 is a bottom plan view of one end of the lay of a' loom showing the picker stick check according to the invention attached thereto;

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of one end of the lay of the loom as shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged bottom plan view, partly in section, of the picker stick check according to the invention;

' "Fig-4' is'a side elevation view, partly in section, of the picker stick check according to Fig. 3;

Fi'g. 5 is a perspective view of a modification of the picker stick check according to the invention;

; Figgfi is a bottom plan view of a different arrange- 36a and 36b on either side of the bracket.

ment of the strap on the picker stick check of Figs. 3 and 4; and

Fig/7 is a perspective view of the drum casing of the picker stick check according to the invention.

Referring to the drawings, one end of a conventional loom lay 10 has secured to the lower portion thereof a lay plate 11, and on this plate is secured a box front 12. Pivotally secured to the lay at 13 is a pivoted binder 14, the face of which is substantially parallel to the face of the box front 12. In the lay plate 11 between the box front 12 and the binder 14 is a slot 18. A picker stick 16 projects upwardly through the slot between the box front 12 and the binder 14. A conventional picker 17 is secured on the upper end of the picker stick. The picker stick 16 oscillates in the slot 18.

Due to the fact that the shuttle (not shown) enters the box between the box front 12 and the binder 14 at a high rate of speed, it is necessary to provide means for checking the picker stick 16 when the shuttle contacts the picker 17 and moves it to the left in Figs. 1 and 2. If such means were not provided, the impact delivered to the picker stick would force the picker stick back against the extreme left hand end of the slot 18, thus causing wear and breakage of parts. Likewise when the picker stick throws the shuttle it moves toward the right in Figs. 1 and 2 at a high rate of speed, and unless means are provided for checking this motion the picker stick would soon break up on the right hand end of the slot 18 in the lay plate 11.

A bracket 19 having elongated slots 19a and 19b therein is mounted on the bottom of the end of the lay 10 by securing means 11a in the form of nuts and bolts extending through the slots. The elongation of the slots permits adjustment of the position of bracket 19. From one end of the bracket 19 depends a check shaft 25 in the form of a bolt which passes through an elongated slot in the bracket 19. Between the head 25a of the bolt and the bracket 19 is an end plate 26 and a spring supporting cylinder 27. The end of the spring supporting cylinder adjacent the bracket 19 bears against a base plate 28 which in turn is against the bracket 19. This assembly of parts is secured to the base plate by a nut and washer 25b on the end of the bolt 25 which projects through the elongated slot 190.

Mounted on the spring supporting cylinder 27 is a spring 29, one end of which is fixed in relation to the cylinder 27 by a bent over end 29a inserted through a hole 27a in the cylinder.

Rotatably mounted on the spring supporting cylinder 27 is a drum 30 having a closed end 30a with an aperture 30b therein. Inserted through the aperture 30b is the other end of the spring 29 which is also bent over at 29b. The drum 30 has a projection 31 thereon which has a threaded hole 31a therein. One end of a strap 33 is secured to the projection 31 by a bolt 32.

From the end of the bracket opposite the end from which the check shaft 25 depends there depends a lug 34 to which the other end of the strap 33 is secured by means of a bolt and nut 35. The strap may have an elongated slot 33a therein at this end in order to permit adjustment of the length of the strap.

Approximately tangent with the periphery of the drum 30 on the opposite side of the drum 30 from the lug 34, a roller shaft 36 is secured to the bracket 19 through the elongated slot 19b. The shaft is formed by the shank of a bolt, the bolt being secured to the bracket 19 by nuts Between the head 360 of the bolt and the bracket 19 is rotatably mounted a roller 37. The strap 33 is passed around the drum 30 in a clockwise direction, as seen in Fig. 3, and around the side of the roller 37 away from the lug 34, and is then looped .in the direction of the lug 34 where it 3 a is doubled back on itself and secured to the lug. The loop of'the strap passes around the picker stick 16, as seen in Fig. 1, and thepicker stick oscillates within the loop. p

In operation, when the picker stick 16' is struck by the shuttle and moves to the left in Fig. l, the movement is free until the strap 33 begins to stretch tight between.

the lug 34 and the picker stick 1 6. At that time the only place for more length of strap to come from is the drum 30. The rearward movement of the picker stick thus starts to unwind the strap 33 from the drum 30 against the action of the spring 29. The more strap that is unwound, the stronger the resisting force of the. spring, until the motion of the picker stick is checked. Atthis point, the spring 29 starts to unwind and moves the picker stick 16- in the forward direction until the spring is no longer tensioned.

When the picker stick 16 movesforward tosthrow the shuttle, it encounters the front end of. the loop of the strap 33 adjacent the lug 34, as shown in Fig. 1. When the. strap begins to tighten between the lug. 34 and picker stick, the only place from which additional length of strap can come is from the partthereof around the drum 30. This part of the strap is unwound from the drum by the continued forward movement of the picker stick against the action of the spring until the force of the spring resisting the unwinding is sufficient tostop the-forwardmotion of the picker stick. The spring. againunwinds and returns the picker stick toward the. rear until the spring is no longer tensioned.

The roller 37 serves. to lead the strap 33 around the drum 30 and forward around the picker stick 1610 the lug-3. It can beeliminated, but the strap is liable to wear at the point where it rubs onthe bolt 32.

It will be seen that by loosening the. bolts 11a which secure the bracket 19 to the lay plate 11', the position of the bracket can be adjusted. By loosening the bolt and nut 35, the length of the strap 33 can be adjusted. Also, by loosening the nut and washer 2512 the cylinder 27 supporting the spring 29 can be rotated to adjust the tension of the spring, and the drum 30 can be moved lengthwise of the bracket 19 in the elongated slot 19c. Thus substantially any position and tension on the strap can be achieved by the proper combination of adjust-- ments.

Ifit is desired to make the action of the spring 29 on the strap commence at an earlier point in the movement of the picker stick when the strap is checking rearward motion of the picker stick, the arrangement of the strap shown in Fig. 6 can be used. It is merely necessary to remove the bolt 32 and wrap the strap 33 around'the roller 37 and then clockwise around the drum 30 and again secure it to the projection 31. The rotation of the drum against the action of the spring 29 in this instance is counterclockwise. i

In the modification shown in Fig. there has been added a second roller shaft 40 in the form of a bolt, which is secured to the bracket 19 farther away from the drum 30 than the roller shaft 26. A roller 41 is mounted 'on this shaft and the picker stick passesbetween the two rollers. The effect of this modification is to start the action of the spring-29 on the strap 33 at an earlier point in the forward motion of the picker stick.

The advantages ofthe picker stick check according to the invention are many. Among others, the check can be adjusted by the plurality of adjustments provided thereon, and will remain in the adjusted position. Thev strap will not be subject to stretching since any force tending to stretch it is transmitted to the spring. The adjustments permit adjustment to provide for any degree of check and any duration of spring action on the picker stick. Because the strap will not stretch, the checking action remains constant and repeated adjustmentsare unnecessary. 7

Further, when a picker stick check according to the in- 4 vention is used on a loom the shuttle does not rebound before it should. The shuttle is kept in the right position at all times. Thus when the loom is stopped, for example, the shuttle will not rebound into the box and cause the loom to hang a quill or'o'therwise cause a breakout or smash up which damages the clothand causes considerable delay in production as is often the case with other type checks.

It is thought that the invention and its advantages will be understood from the foregoing description. and it is apparent that various changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention orsacrificing its material advantages, the forms hereinbcfore described and illustrated in-the drawings being merely preferred embodiments thereof;

I claim:

1'. A picker stick check comprising a bracket for mounting on a loom, a single spring loaded drum rotatably mounted on said bracket, and a flexible strap secured to said drumand wrapped around'said drum and extending therefrom in a loop large enough to extend around the picker'stick on the loom and securedto said bracket.

2. A picker stick check comprising a bracket for mounting on a loom, a single spring loaded drum rotat ably mounted on one end of said bracket, a roller rotat ably mounted on said bracket adjacent said drum, and a flexible strap secured to said drum and'wrapped around said drum and extending around saidroller' on the side away from said drum in a looplarge' enough to' extend around the picker stick on the loom and secured to the other end of said bracket. V

3. A picker stick check comprising a bracket for mounting on a loom, a check'shaft depending from" one" end of said bracket, a spring having one end secured to said shaft, a drum rotatably mounted on said shaft and having the other end of said spring secured thereto, a roller rotatably mounted on said bracket adjacent said drum, a flexible strap secured to said'drum' andwrapped' around said drum starting from adjacent said ro'llera'nd extending around said roller on the side away from said drum in a loop large enough to' extend around'the picker: stick on the loom and secured to the otherend of the bracket from the check shaft.

4. A picker stick check as claimed in.clai'rn 3"in which said strap is wrapped around said'drum so that it passes; from the drum to said roller on a tangent to both said drum and said roller which passes outside said drum and said roller.

5. A picker stick check as claimed'in claim 3 in which said strap is wrapped around said drum so that it passes between said drum and said roller ona tangent to both said roller and said drum which passes between said roller and said drum.

6.- A picker stick check comprising a bracket. for. mounting on a loom, a single spring loaded drumirotatably mounted on one end of said bracket, a first roller rotatably mounted on said bracket adjacentsaid drum, a second roller rotatably mounted on said bracketspaced from said first roller a distance sufiicient to permit the: picker stick to pass between them, and a flexiblestrap secured to said drum and wrapped around saiddrum: and extending around saidrollers on the side. away from said drum in a loop. large enough to. extend aroundtha picker stick on the loom and secured to. the. other. enck of said bracket.

References Cited inthe-file ofthis patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 861,013 Ayer July 23, 1907 1,212,952 Hodgman Jan. 16,1917 1,587,149 Cotchett June 1,1926 2,363,458 Budzyna Nov. 21, 1944 2,818,883 Hufierd Jam-7,1958 

